Boston Blue

Last updated

Boston Blue
Boston Blue logo.svg
Genre
Based on
Developed byBrandon Sonnier
Brandon Margolis
Starring
Theme music composer
  • Caleb Chan
  • Brian Chan
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada [1]
Boston, Massachusetts [2]
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 17, 2025 (2025-10-17) –
present
Related
Blue Bloods

Boston Blue is an American police procedural drama television series that premiered its first season on CBS on October 17, 2025, which is set to consist of 20 episodes. [3] Executive produced by and starring Donnie Wahlberg, the series is a spin-off of Blue Bloods focusing on his character Danny Reagan taking a position with the Boston Police Department.

Contents

Plot

Former NYPD detective Danny Reagan takes a position with the Boston Police Department after a case involving his younger son Sean occurs. He is partnered with Lena Silver, the eldest daughter of a noted police family in that city and a "rising star".

She is the granddaughter of Reverend Peters, described as the renowned pastor of a historic Baptist church in Boston. He is the father of Mae Silver, Boston's District Attorney, and also the grandfather of Superintendent Sarah Silver and rookie patrol cop Jonah Silver. [4] [5]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Crossover characters from Blue Bloods

Episodes

No.Title  [11] Directed byWritten by  [12] Original airdate  [11] Prod.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Faith and Family" Anthony Hemingway Brandon Sonnier & Brandon MargolisOctober 17, 2025 (2025-10-17)1014.68 [13]
NYPD detective Danny Reagan finds out his son, Boston PD patrol officer Sean Reagan, has been seriously injured in a building fire, interrupting a night he is spending with his girlfriend, his former NYPD partner Maria Baez. He rushes to Boston and teams up with Detective Lena Silver to investigate the fire, apparently set to cover up the murder of a facial-recognition tech company CEO. As Sean recovers, Danny's sister Erin Reagan also visits to check on them and they both attend a Shabbat dinner with Lena Silver's family which includes Jonah Silver, Sean's friend at the police academy.
2"Teammates" Randy Zisk Brandon Sonnier & Brandon MargolisOctober 24, 2025 (2025-10-24)1024.14 [14]
3"History" Alex Zakrzewski Rebecca Cutter October 31, 2025 (2025-10-31)1033.84 [15]
4"Rites of Passage"Jackeline Tejada Pam Veasey November 7, 2025 (2025-11-07)1044.00 [16]
5"Suffer the Children"Antonio NegretTerri KoppNovember 14, 2025 (2025-11-14)1053.98 [17]
6"Code of Ethics"Sherwin ShilatiTerence Paul WinterNovember 21, 2025 (2025-11-21)106TBD
7"Baggage Claim" [18] Monica Raymund Dave MetzgerDecember 5, 2025 (2025-12-05)107TBD
8"In the Name of the Father, And of the Son..." [19] Bridget Moynahan John DoveDecember 12, 2025 (2025-12-12)108TBD
9"Collateral Damage" [20] Randy ZiskEstevanDecember 19, 2025 (2025-12-19)109TBD
10TBATBATBAFebruary 27, 2026 (2026-02-27) [21] TBATBD
11TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
12TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
13"Beautiful Broken Things" [22] Richelle TaylorTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
14TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
15TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
16TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
17TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
18TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
19TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD
20TBATBDTBD2026 (2026)TBATBD

Production

Development

On June 4, 2024, Paramount Global co-CEO Brian Robbins said at a shareholder presentation that there were plans for a "franchise extension" of Blue Bloods . [23]

The show was not planned as a Blue Bloods spinoff, but had originally been pitched by writers Brandon Sonnier [24] and Brandon Margolis [25] as a drama titled after the Boston neighborhood Jamaica Plain focused on a transfer from the LAPD to Boston. In February 2025, CBS officially picked up the show straight-to-series for the 2025–2026 broadcast season. [26]

The first episode was directed and produced by Anthony Hemingway. [27]

Casting

In addition to Wahlberg, CBS also announced the casting of Sonequa Martin-Green as a second lead character in May 2025; the new character Lena Silver was originally referred to in announcements as Lena Peters, which would be the maiden name of her mother's character. [28] In May 2025, Ernie Hudson was cast as a series regular for the series. [4] Hudson had previously appeared on Blue Bloods playing another character in a guest role in 2018 in Season 8. [29] In June 2025, Maggie Lawson, Gloria Reuben, and Marcus Scribner joined the cast in starring roles. [30] [31] [5] In July 2025, Mika Amonsen was cast as a series regular as Danny Reagan's younger son Sean, a recasting of the role played by Andrew Terraciano on the original show. [32] In the same month, Bridget Moynahan joined the cast to reprise her role as Erin as a special guest star and set to direct an episode as well. [33] In November 2025, it was reported that Xochitl Gomez was cast in a recurring capacitiy. [34]

Asked about participation in a possible spin-off, Tom Selleck said he was "open to suggestions because I love Frank Reagan," but added that he did not see the character retiring and going off to a small town. [35]

Filming

Most of the filming is taking place in Toronto due to financial reasons amid broader challenges in the U.S. filming industry. Wahlberg said he advocated to do at least some filming in Boston, which took place in August 2025 at Fenway Park and Boston Common. [36] [37] "The goal is, let’s compromise to get the show made. We’ll work outside and do exteriors in Boston, and then you know, in success, perhaps we can come down there and be there full time," he told a Boston radio station.

Release

Boston Blue had its world premiere at MIPCOM Cannes on October 12, 2025. [38] The series premiered on CBS on October 17, 2025; it has inherited the Friday 10:00 p.m. ET/PT time slot that Blue Bloods aired in for the majority of its run. [39] [40]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 80% based on 10 critic reviews. [41] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable". [42]

Aramide Tinubu of Variety wrote in her review: "Boston Blue has enormous shoes to fill, considering the 14-year run of Blue Bloods. Yet, in the episodes screened (critics received two for review), it is clear that this new show has the foundation to go all the way." [43] Diedre Johnson of TheWrap wrote in her review: "Despite a new cast and setting, CBS’s Boston Blue has all the bones of the original series." [44] Joel Keller of Decider wrote in his review: Boston Blue was eye-rollingly frustrating to watch, because it feels like showrunner Brandon Margolis and his writing staff took every contrived, cliched way to create a spinoff of a hit series they could dream up, making for a story that feels like it came straight from a spinoff episode you might have seen in the 1980s." [45] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly wrote in her review: "Sometimes, the best thing a show can do is deliver exactly what the viewers want — nothing more, nothing less. And that’s just what CBS does with Boston Blue, the new spinoff of its long-running, much-loved drama, Blue Bloods." [46]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Boston Blue
No.TitleAir date Rating/share
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)		Ref.
1"Faith and Family"October 17, 20250.2/44.680.12.540.47.22 [13]
2"Teammates"October 24, 20250.2/34.140.12.170.36.31 [14]
3"History"October 31, 20250.2/23.840.12.330.36.17 [15]
4"Rites of Passage"November 7, 20250.2/34.000.22.440.36.44 [16]
5"Suffer the Children"November 14, 20250.2/43.98TBDTBDTBDTBD [17]

References

  1. 1 2 Boyle, Kelli (July 30, 2025). "'Boston Blue': New Sean Reagan Seen Filming on Set in Toronto With Donnie Wahlberg (VIDEO)". TV Insider . TVGM Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Donnie Wahlberg spotted at the Boston Common Monday filming new TV series". WHDH . Sunbeam Television. August 4, 2025. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  3. ↑ Pickard, Michael (October 9, 2025). "Painting Boston Blue". Drama Quarterly. C21Media. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Andreeva, Nellie (May 16, 2025). "Ernie Hudson Joins New CBS Series 'Boston Blue'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Hailu, Selome (June 11, 2025). "'Blue Bloods' Spinoff 'Boston Blue' Casts 'Black-ish' Star Marcus Scribner (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   60626328. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  6. ↑ Coleman, Ryan (February 19, 2025). "Donnie Wahlberg to star in 'Blue Bloods' spinoff 'Boston Blue' at CBS". Entertainment Weekly . People Inc. ISSN   1049-0434. OCLC   21114137. Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  7. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 2, 2025). "'Boston Blue': Maggie Lawson Joins 'Blue Bloods' Offshoot For CBS". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 2, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ Rudolph, Ileane (October 17, 2025). "'Boston Blue' Surprise! [Spoiler] Returns From Danny's Past — Will They Be Back?". TV Insider . TVGM Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (October 25, 2025). "Boston Blue Bosses Confirm Baez Will Return 'Multiple Times' In Season 1, Following Danny's Life-Changing Decision In Episode 2". TVLine . Static Media . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ Gelman, Vlada (October 18, 2025). "Boston Blue Showrunners Talk Premiere's Surprise Blue Bloods Cameo: Are Danny and [Spoiler] Already Doomed?". Soaps She Knows . United States: SHE Media . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Shows A-Z – boston blue on cbs". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Boston Blue". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (October 19, 2025). "Friday Ratings: CBS Series Premieres of Boston Blue and Sheriff Country Draw Decent in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (October 28, 2025). "Friday Ratings: MLB World Series on Fox Platforms Score Second-Largest Start in Seven Years". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (November 5, 2025). "Friday Ratings: MLB World Series Game 6 on Fox Platforms Dominates Halloween Night". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (November 10, 2025). "Friday Ratings: Return of Reba McEntire Sitcom Happy's Place on NBC Earns Best Demos for a Broadcast Network Telecast in its Time Slot". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  17. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (November 19, 2025). "Friday Ratings: CBS and ESPN Share Prime Time Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ "(#BB107) "Baggage Claim"". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  19. ↑ "(#BB108) "In the Name of the Father, And of the Son..."". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  20. ↑ "(#BB109) "Collateral Damage"". The Futon Critic . Futon Media. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  21. ↑ Schwartz, Ryan (November 17, 2025). "CBS Reveals Midseason Schedule: Yellowstone Spinoff Saddles Up, Survivor Turns 50 And More". TVLine . Archived from the original on November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Boston Blue". SAG-AFTRA . November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  23. ↑ Nemetz, Dave (June 4, 2024). "Blue Bloods Offshoot Hinted at by Paramount Exec". TVLine . Static Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Brandon Sonnier". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Brandon Margolis". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  26. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 18, 2025). "'Blue Bloods' Universe Expands: CBS Orders 'Boston Blue' Drama Series Starring Donnie Wahlberg As Danny Reagan". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  27. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (May 15, 2025). "Anthony Hemingway To Direct & EP 'Boston Blue' Premiere Episode". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  28. ↑ Hailu, Selome (May 7, 2025). "'Blue Bloods' Spinoff 'Boston Blue' Casts Sonequa Martin-Green". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   60626328 . Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  29. ↑ Stenzel, Wesley (May 16, 2025). "Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue adds Ernie Hudson as Sonequa Martin-Green's grandfather". Entertainment Weekly . People Inc. ISSN   1049-0434. OCLC   21114137 . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  30. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 2, 2025). "'Boston Blue': Maggie Lawson Joins 'Blue Bloods' Offshoot For CBS". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  31. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2025). "'Boston Blue': Gloria Reuben Joins 'Blue Bloods' Offshoot For CBS". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  32. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (July 9, 2025). "'Boston Blue' Recasts Sean Reagan, Taps Mika Amonsen As Danny's Son In 'Blue Bloods' Offshoot". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  33. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 18, 2025). "Blue Bloods Bridget Moynahan Set for Double Duty on Boston Blue Spinoff". TVLine . Static Media . Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  34. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (November 7, 2025). "Xochitl Gomez Joins CBS's 'Boston Blue' Cast As Recurring Guest Star". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  35. ↑ Cohn, Paulette (December 6, 2024). "Tom Selleck Says He's Ready to Saddle Up for a Taylor Sheridan Role (Exclusive)". Parade . The Arena Group. eISSN   1839-6569. OCLC   1772138. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  36. ↑ Bobbin, Jay (October 11, 2025). "Back in 'Blue': Donnie Wahlberg transfers from 'Blue Bloods' to 'Boston Blue'". Concord Monitor . TV Media. p. S2 – via newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ Boyle, Kelli (August 7, 2025). "'Boston Blue's Donnie Wahlberg Gets Real About Filming in Toronto: 'It's Dire Straits Financially'". TV Insider . TVGM Holdings, LLC. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  38. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (August 6, 2025). "Donnie Wahlberg & Sonequa Martin-Green To Unveil 'Boston Blue' At MIPCOM Cannes World Premiere25". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  39. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2025). "CBS 2025-26 Schedule: 'FBI' Block On Monday, 'NCIS' Tuesday, Donnie Wahlberg Back In 'Blue Bloods' Slot As Part Of Bruckheimer Friday". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  40. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 11, 2025). "CBS Fall Premiere Dates: 'Watson', 'FBI', 'Ghosts' All 'NCIS' Tuesday, 'Matlock', 'Boston Blue', More". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Boston Blue: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Boston Blue season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  43. ↑ Tinubu, Aramide (October 17, 2025). "'Blue Bloods' Spinoff 'Boston Blue' Is an Enticing Continuation of the Beloved Family Drama: TV Review". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   60626328. Archived from the original on November 22, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  44. ↑ Johnson, Diedre (October 17, 2025). "'Boston Blue' Review: Donnie Wahlberg-Led 'Blue Bloods' Spinoff Sticks to the Formula". TheWrap . The Wrap News Inc. Archived from the original on November 23, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  45. ↑ Keller, Joel (October 17, 2025). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Boston Blue' On CBS, A Contrived 'Blue Bloods' Spinoff That Finds Donnie Wahlberg's Danny Reagan In The Boston PD". Decider . NYP Holdings, Inc. Archived from the original on November 23, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  46. ↑ Baldwin, Kristen (October 14, 2025). "Donnie Wahlberg to star in 'Blue Bloods' spinoff 'Boston Blue' at CBS". Entertainment Weekly . People Inc. ISSN   1049-0434. OCLC   21114137. Archived from the original on November 23, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
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